Kalagadi Manganese News

The Kalagadi Manganese sinter plant is now nearing the final stages of hot commissioning. With this important milestone being reached, the excitement is evident in every member of the team.

With an event that marks such an important milestone, one doesn’t hold back and Kalagadi Manganese under the leadership of Daphne Mashile-Nkosi made sure that they didn’t. Pulling out all the stops, MC Sindy Mabe introduced, Fikile Mlomo, Kgosi and Lundi and the crowds cheered in delight as Judith Sephuma took the stage.

Between performances, representatives of various stakeholders came forward to share their stories: the Kalagadi Manganese representatives, Thulo Malumise and George Maluleke explained the sintering process and also the challenges that the team faced while building it.

Peter Webber the Executive Vice President of Outotec and Kalagadi’s technology partner, commended the team for their hard work, focusing on the technology behind what he called “the world’s largest manganese sinter plant”. There where also multimedia presentations that took the audience through the process of construction, highlighting the relationship between Outotec and Kalagadi in achieving their goals. This presentation is available here.

The Premier of the Northern Cape, Ms Grizelda Cjiekella’a delivered a message that endorsed the Kalagadi Project as an example to the mining community and she pledged government’s continued support.

The highlight of the day was a speech delivered by the chairperson of Kalagadi Manganese, Mrs. Daphne Mashile-Nkosi. In an emotional testimony, she thanked all those that gave her the strength to carry on, despite the loss of her husband and the constant pressure to withdraw from the mining industry. In her speech she named the Kalagadi Manganese sinter plant: “The Stan Nqobizizwe Nkosi Sinter Plant” after her late husband. She also vowed to continue the process of Beneficiation to add value beyond the manganese being drawn from the earth and claimed the completion of the sinter plant on behalf of all women in business.

With the Stan Nqobizizwe Nkosi Sinter Plant now reaching it’s final months of completion, Kalagadi Manganese will begin to turn their focus to the completion of the rail and electrical infrastructure still needed to see their plant in operation and then to the smelter plant project in the Coega region, the final stage in their master plan for beneficiation.